A Snarky Butterfly
by Twoweektwomove
Summary: What would happen if Harry Potter had not defeated Lord Voldemort in the Battle of Hogwarts? Aristophanes, cousin of Lucius Malfoy, must deal with dark times and a feisty ginger-headed girl bent on rejoining Harry Potter and the forces he is gathering to wage war upon the corrupted Ministry of Magic and Lord Voldemort himself.
1. Chapter 1

"Next up for bidding!" the weedy announcer smiled maliciously down at his audience. "She is a young pure-blood girl in need of a little, ah, discipline."

Aris shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He couldn't believe he let Morvan drag him to the local trading market in London. He had been quite unwilling to spend his only day off from the Ministry of Magic with the overly excitable Morvan but Morvan had been insisting for months that such proceedings, as the one he witnessed now, were entertaining. Maybe his friend found some perverse joy attending the slave trading auctions, but Aris did not find it amusing by any standards. The only reason Aris took a seat in the small theatre was to shut Morvan's flapping jaws about the whole ordeal. Perhaps if Aris made a point of attending this one time, it would buy him a few more months before his friend began badgering him about it again.

He looked around the room. It was filled mostly with older gentlemen if one could call them by such a title. The balding, grey haired and scruffy men licked their lips greedily in anticipation as a ginger-headed girl was thrust onto the stage. She kicked and bit at the two cloaked goons wrestling her up to the podium.

The announcer tipped his pock-marked head at the girl and waved a hand to indicate her figure and she spat at him before being gagged by a dirty cloth.

She was an unsettlingly pretty girl despite her dirty clothing. She possessed fiery-ginger tresses, a smattering of freckles across her nose and deep brown eyes filled with disgust at the view before her. Aris felt something jump in his throat as he watched her struggle vainly before the audience. Her eyes flickered over his once and he could almost reach out and touch the disdain she had for the people in this tiny theatre, palpable as it was.

"As you can see, my lovely audience, she does indeed have many fine attributes," the announcer winked and the room chuckled appreciatively. "She might one day make an acceptable wife for breeding."

"One hundred galleons!" shrieked a stubby rabbit-faced man from the back of the room. Aris felt ill for reasons he couldn't quite put his finger on. Perhaps it was her beauty that made him feel sympathy for her. Or perhaps it was his the knowledge that several of the men in the audience were depraved individuals who would find value in buying the pretty girl for nefarious means.

_I will punch Morvan in his idiot face for bringing me here_, Aris seethed.

"So the bidding starts already, eh?" the announcer laughed. The girl glared across several heads at a man in the crowd insisting in a loud voice to his compatriots that he could out-buy anyone in the room. Aris recognized him as a fellow Ministry of Magic co-worker, Willis Theobald. Theobald's bulging eyes scanned the room like a vulture.

"Two hundred galleons!" Scabior growled.

Suddenly the room erupted into shouts and minor scuffles as the bid for the girl rose exponentially in only a few minutes.

"Twenty thousand galleons," Theobald stood up and the room fell deadly silent. He flashed his blackened and rotting teeth at the miffed expressions of those surrounding him.

Aris looked back to the girl. Her expression was that of disbelief and indignation. She lifted her eyes to the ceiling as if resigning herself to her fate.

_I have gone mad_, he thought and stood up. Morvan looked up at him in shock but Aris dismissed him with a curt shake of his head.

"Thirty thousand galleons," he sighed. All heads turned to him greedy to watch the match between him and Theobald for the girl. Scabior huffed and sat heavily back in his chair in defeat.

Theobald flashed a warning look at him and raised a withered claw. Aris looked back and forth to the pretty girl as her wide brown eyes pleaded furiously with him to save her from such a miserable fate.

"Forty thousand galleons!" Theobald challenged him.

"Sixty thousand galleons," Aris replied. The announcer jumped greedily between the two men. Theobald grimaced. The girl's shoulders relaxed slightly in relief. The entire theatre was silent as everyone watched with curiosity and jealousy. It seemed Aris would be the highest bidder as Theobald muttered something to his neighbor.

"Eighty thousand galleons!" Theobald suddenly shouted. The girl stood stock still in shock. He shook hands with his neighbor in triumph and cast a nasty smile at Aris.

Aris looked over again at the girl. She never dropped her gaze from him as the goons began to drag her from the stage.

_In for a penny, in for a pound_, Aris groaned inwardly.

"One hundred thousand galleons!" Aris boomed. He felt his stomach muscles quiver in anger as Morvan cackled with glee and pumped a triumphant fist on his back.

Theobald's face darkened in rage and he flounced angrily back to his seat in defeat glaring at Aris as if he'd like nothing more than to curse him into oblivion.

The announcer bounced on the balls of his feet.

"What a rush! Next up, half-blood. Decent build. Great lad for yard work…" he heard the announcer clasp his hands together to move along the bidding.

Aris abruptly left Morvan without speaking to him. He was so angry he didn't think he could even look at the man. He had never even wanted to visit the place. Now he was out one hundred thousand galleons and he had made a new enemy… all because he could not betray a pretty girl to the sick fantasies of Theobald.

"Bugger it all to hell," he hissed as he stepped into the office to sign the paperwork.

* * *

She wouldn't speak to him and steadfastly glared out of the window of the carriage. She was flanked by the same goons who had dragged her earlier off the small theatre stage.

"What is your name?"

Silence.

"Have you any experience with housework?"

More silence.

"Er… It was mentioned you are a blood traitor. May I ask by what means you managed to land yourself in such a predicament?"

Her head whipped to him and the flash fiery orange hair unnerved him. She narrowed her eyes at him and he responded with a cold expression. Still she did not answer him.

"What am I supposed to do with you…" he mumbled, more to himself than to her. She went back to staring out of the window at the passing landscape.

They arrived a while later at his country-side home on the outskirts of London. The carriage jolted to a stop at the front terrace of the manor and he instructed the goons to take her to a room upstairs. It was furnished for guests but, having had no previous knowledge that he would be returning home with an expensive pure-blood girl, he decided it would be sufficient. Any guests would have to sleep elsewhere until he could figure out what to do with her.

He ate dinner alone in frustration. Aris made sure to send the girl dinner by way of his house-elf, Tippy.

A visitor called upon him later that evening as Aris shuffled the pages of the Daily Prophet in agitation. Aris heard the bell ring and trudged through the front parlor. He saw Morvan skipping eagerly on his front porch through the window and swung open the door. Without a word, Aris slammed a fist into Morvan's excited face. Then he closed the door in satisfaction, locked it and went to bed.

* * *

Aris awoke early in the morning to earsplitting screeching. He stumbled out of bed and tripped over his nightstand and let out a growl of rage when he stubbed his toe.

"Master! Tippy will care of everything! Tippy does not want Master to worry!" he heard the house elf squeak at him as he barged sleepily down the main staircase.

The ginger headed girl lay unconscious in the front parlor. It looked as if she had been trying to escape by the front door but the intruder alarm had gone off and the Anti-Escape spell he had installed around his property knocked her out.

"Bring her back to the guest room, Tippy. And lock the bloody door," he groaned and tried vainly to rub the sleep from his eyes. It was no use going back to bed now. He might as well head into work, albeit a bit earlier than he would have liked.

Aris arrived at the Ministry by the Floo Network. He stepped out of the fire, brushed the ashes from his cloak and walked briskly through the atrium to the lift. He was surprised and agitated to see Kingsley Shaklebolt marching toward him.

"Morning, Kingsley," he nodded and hoped the tall black man with an earring would pass him by. Unfortunately his luck did not seem to be much these past few days.

"Good morning, Aristophanes. Do you mind if I speak with you in private?" Kingsley rumbled in a deep voice. It wasn't as much a question as it was a demand. Aris wondered if Morvan had done something stupid again. Perhaps he had screwed up on some paperwork that Aris had hastily signed to get away from him.

Aris plastered a grim smile on his face and steeled himself for the worst.

"Sure thing, mate," he gritted his teeth together and followed Kingsley to a secluded arch across the atrium. If Kingsley wanted this much privacy it boded _very_ badly for Aris. He wondered if he should have cursed Morvan to pieces last night instead.

"I have heard what happened at the auction yesterday," Kingsley said.

Aris sighed and felt a fleeting flash of disgust with himself for allowing Morvan to drag him to the function. He could tell that Kingsley did not approve. The Auror gave off an air of old fashioned respectability and as much as Aris tried to tell himself he did not care for Kingsley's approval one way or another... he still felt a twinge of shame. Kingsley had a way of doing that to people, he noticed. At least Morvan hadn't screwed up on any paperwork.

"Out of curiosity, I must ask why you attended," Kingsley inquired calmly. Aris glared across the atrium to the employees steadily arriving at work and bustling across the polished floor to their respective assigned jobs. He watched several Snatchers drag a line of chained and frightened Muggles to the lift to go down to the Courtroom in the basement.

_Poor bastards,_ he thought and tore his eyes away from the scene.

"I must admit, Kingsley, I do not know. I attended at the behest of another individual. Appalling proceedings," he spoke truthfully. Unfortunately, this did not pacify the Auror.

"You bought a girl," Kingsley stated. Aris folded his arms protectively across his chest and stared defiantly at the shiny bald head looming over his own.

"I did. Theobald contested me highly for her," Aris said. He wondered why Kingsley would wish to discuss something so inane with him. Kingsley usually policed the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the War Department like a watchdog to make sure everyone was doing their duties when he was not in France hunting traitors to the Dark Lord.

"Her name is Ginevra Weasely. I knew her as a school girl," Kingsley told him. Aris felt the pit of his stomach drop.

_Oh great_, he thought and resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"I trust you mean her no harm?" Kingsley inquired. "I ask because, whatever you may feel, she is a wonderful young lady and I only hope she is in good hands."

Aris took a deep breath. This was becoming more of a hassle than he had anticipated.

"Kingsley, I assure you. I harbor her no ill will. She will be kept comfortably. Honestly, I don't even know what to do with her," he admitted. "She has quite a temper."

Suddenly Kingsley heaved a sigh of relief. It shocked Aris. Then Kingsley smiled wearily to himself and clapped a large hand on Aris' shoulder.

"That she does. I trust you will take care of her and keep her safe?" Kingsley questioned him. Again his question sounded more like a demand. A threat. It made Aris feel uncomfortable. Of course he would keep her safe, whatever that meant. It wasn't as if his house were under attack or anything. Those days had passed.

"Of course. Better than me than Willis Theobald," he said. Much to his surprise, Kingsley nodded and left Aris abruptly to stand by himself underneath the secluded arch. He watched the impressive Auror walk around the ugly Fountain of Magical Brethren and disappear into the distance.

Aris rubbed at his temples and made his way to the lift. He rode down to the War Department on Level Two and departed from the annoying flapping memos in the elevator carriage. A few shot out and flew down the corridor to their respective recipients and Aris found one zooming around his office door. He snatched at it and unfolded the parchment.

"Good morning, Mr. Malfoy!" twittered his secretary.

He stalked past her and collapsed at his desk. He re-read the memo several times for confirmation. The Daily Prophet had once again exaggerated about the state of affairs in southwest England. It was being written that the Dark Lord's forces had vanquished an entire encampment of blood-traitors but Aris scratched his head and looked over at the magical map hanging in his office. It covered an entire wall and he narrowed his sharp grey eyes at what he saw. As far as he was aware, the Dark Lord's forces were retreating steadily as the dots on the map moved away from the little wizarding village of Merlin Court outside of the muggle town of Fordingbridge. Either the Daily Prophet's reporting had gone wonky or it was lying outright. It occurred to him that the Daily Prophet may be covering up for losses at the demands of the Dark Lord. It only made sense. The Dark Lord would not want to appear weak. Aris crumpled up the memo and tossed it into the waste basket. If the Dark Lord did not mind telling tales then neither would Aris. He did not want to end up dead like his cousin Lucius for displeasing the Dark Lord. It was not worth it.

He reached for his quill and scratched out a message to be sent back to the Daily Prophet after he deemed it satisfactory enough. Being vague, that was the key.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Aris finished signing his name on the last piece of parchment and headed out of his office. He saw Kingsley speaking to Theobald by the Fountain of Magical Brethren. He slunk behind a tall witch who worked in the Department of Mysteries and managed to hide in line to leave the Ministry by the Floo Network without Kingsley spotting him. All he wanted to do was go home, take a nice long bath and relax by the fire in his study. He didn't want to be accosted by Kingsley again. The man was nerve-wracking enough to deal with. He wanted silence. He wanted peace.

He stepped into the warm fire and his stomach churned as he shot past glimpses of other fireplaces and finally landed on the hearth in his own home.

"_**Meeeeeep! Meeeeeep! Meeeeeep!**_"

He groaned and covered his ears as he arrived to the earsplitting screeching of the Anti-Escape spell. Tippy scuttled down the hallway and her ears twitched when she saw Aris dusting off his cloak.

"Master must not worry! This is the third time today but Tippy will not let the Weasley girl leave. Tippy is taking care of everything!" the house-elf squeaked in his wake and padded hurriedly up the staircase.

Aris removed his cloak and tossed it dejectedly to the floor. He undid his tie and stormed up the stairs angrily after Tippy. His other house-elf, Nubby, was dragging the girl's unconscious body across the floor into the guest room. He huffed and puffed but bowed as Aris approached.

"Master has returned," Nubby said gratefully. He looked at each one of his house-elves. They were swaying on their feet and Tippy scratched tiredly behind her twitching ears. The girl must have been putting them through the ringer all day. The rage bubbled in his chest as he snatched the Weasley girl off the floor with ease and tossed her onto the four poster bed.

"You may both go rest for a few minutes before dinner," he dismissed the house-elves and they bowed again in gratitude. He heard two loud pops as they disappeared to the kitchens and the Anti-Escape spell wore itself out. Finally there was silence. Blissful silence.

Aris sat on the edge of the bed next to the unconscious girl and hung his head in his hands. He felt a headache coming along. He was tired, angry, frustrated and hungry. To make things worse, he had come home to chaos.

The girl stirred fitfully. Aris watched as she opened her eyes, lashes fluttering. He felt something in his chest jump but he swallowed and prepared to deal with her. She took in her surroundings and glared at him with malice.

"What the devil do you mean by it?" Aris demanded. He tried to make his voice sound authoritative but he failed miserably. He had only managed to sound whiny.

"Let me go and I will stop trying to escape," she answered. Aris studied her for a moment.

"Absolutely not," he told her. She sat up and crossed her legs on the bed.

"I will get out of this forsaken house if it is the last thing I do. I hope you know that," she said matter-of-factly.

"Over my dead body," he glared at her.

"If you wish it," she challenged him. Aris rolled his eyes.

"Save the threats for someone who cares," he replied huffily and made to leave. The girl threw a pillow at him. Aris spun around and raised his wand in anger.

"Do it again. I dare you. I will have you bound and shackled in my wine cellar if you insist on throwing things at me," he growled.

The girl rolled her eyes back at him.

"It was only a _pillow_," she grumbled and looked down into her lap.

"It is a very _expensive_ pillow and I like it," Aris replied, picked it up off the floor and tossed it back to her.

"Then why is it in here? Why don't you sleep with it?" she argued.

"Because it is… lumpy," he replied, feeling stupid.

"So I am forced to sleep upon it. How considerate," she remarked sarcastically and kicked it off the bed to the floor again.

"Fine. If you don't like the pillow then I will fetch you another one," Aris told her and slammed the bedroom door shut.

He stopped in the hallway and glowered at the guest bedroom door. He felt like somehow he had been duped into performing an unnecessary task but he shook his head and stalked off.

He marched into his bedroom with a raging headache and snatched a pillow off his own bed. He clenched it in his fist and rapped on her door.

There was no answer.

He jiggled the handle and stepped into the room. The girl stood in front of the window, looking casually across the lawn to the line of trees that bordered his property.

"Here," he said and gently placed the pillow on the bed. She watched him back up to leave.

"Why did you purchase me? For what purpose?" she asked him in a low voice. Aris stopped in his tracks and made eye contact.

"I don't have any _purpose_ for you. I merely considered it a shame to allow Theobald to take you," Aris said.

"Theobald. That man looks like a real creeper," she said and eyed him suspiciously.

"He is. I didn't know it at the time but I spoke with Kingsley Shaklebolt today and he told me you are part of the Weasley brood. Your name is Ginevra. I believe I went to school with your brother, Charlie," he told her. Her eyes lit up at each name but she remained steadfast.

"I don't think Charlie ever mentioned you. I'd also prefer if you call me Ginny. My first name is horrible," she said. One of her eyebrows rose.

"Charlie would not have mentioned me. I was a year above him at Hogwarts. I was also in Slytherin House so we were not acquaintances. My name is Aristophanes Malfoy," he said by way of introduction. He offered her his hand. Ginny frowned at it.

Aris took his hand back.

"I didn't know You-Know-Who left any Malfoys alive," she shuddered.

"My cousin Lucius was executed. As far as I am aware, his wife and son have gone into hiding. I have not provoked the ire of the Dark Lord," Aris grumbled. "How is it you were put up for auction?"

Ginny gritted her teeth.

"I was picked up by Snatchers. One of them recognized me and turned me in for a reward," she answered bitterly. Her nose crinkled and her lips puckered as if she tasted something sour.

"You are lucky in that regard," he said in a low tone. She looked as if she had been slapped.

"Lucky?! Explain to me how so," she demanded and stamped her foot on the floor.

"If one of the Snatchers had not recognized you, you would be burning on the pyre in Trafalgar Square with the rest of the muggles," he shivered. He couldn't stop the memories of running away from the stench of burning flesh and the screams of agony that shot through the crushing, rioting crowd of wizards and witches.

Ginny's eyes were wide in disbelief. She swallowed hard and looked as if she might cry. But she steadied herself and took a deep breath.

"I thought everyone knew that," he whispered. She shook her head once and wrapped her arms around her own body.

"I… go away," she demanded in a shaky voice.

Aris nodded and shut the door behind him. He could smell dinner cooking and he limped, exhausted, to the dining room.


	2. Chapter 2

Aris sank down upon the soft couch cushions in front of his roaring fire place. He reached for the Daily Prophet to fill in his favorite cross word puzzle. Sadly, this one was more difficult than the previous day because each time he filled in an answer, the boxes switched around and caused him to grip the paper in agitation each time the letters separated across the puzzle.

He filled in another answer. The same thing happened. He hissed in pain and looked down at his quill. Aris had squeezed too tightly without realizing what he was doing and now he had stabbed himself in the palm and ink squelched over his hand.

The screeching alarms began again and Aris squinted his eyes shut against the offensive racket. He grabbed the sides of his head and begged silently for a moment of peace. Tippy scurried through the room and disappeared. A few moments later, the screeching stopped and Aris relaxed.

The he looked down at his hand that was covered in ink and groaned. He felt the sticky substance on the side of his face, shot out off the couch in a temper tantrum and stormed over to the mirror hung over the fireplace.

He scrubbed violently at the ink with a handkerchief until it vanished. He finally looked at himself and was shocked to see the dark purple circles underneath his sharp grey eyes. He ran a shaky ink-free hand through his messy black hair and the image of his scruffy and disheveled appearance frightened him. He was a handsome fellow according to those who knew him but it seemed to be fading away.

_I am only thirty four yet look like an old man_, he thought fitfully. _I am a bag of bones_.

Aris was struck at that moment by how much stress he had been under. Working at the Ministry of Magic in the War Department seemed to be taking its toll. But it wasn't just that, he mused. It couldn't be. Things didn't feel right lately at home or at work. Morvan had been bugging him beyond belief about idiotic things. He often worried about Narcissa Malfoy and her son whom he had never met, but had needed to suppress those anxious feelings for obvious reasons. And Ginny Weasley's escape tactics were not helping matters.

A loud popping noise startled him out of his reverie.

"Tibby has bolted Miss Weasley's windows shut. Master does not need to worry!" she insisted. Tibby bowed and disappeared into the darkened hallway.

Aris looked down at his ink-stained Daily Prophet and gave it up as a bad job for the night. He tossed the newspaper into the fire and watched it burn with relish before retiring upstairs.

He laid his head on the pillow and closed his eyes to wait for sleep. It wouldn't come. An hour of tossing and turning passed into two hours.

There was a soft knock on his door.

"I swear to bloody Christ, Tibby! What on earth could possibly be wrong now?!" he shouted. There was silence.

"Answer me!"

There was a shuffling noise outside his door.

"It's Ginny," he heard the muffled response.

Aris bolted out of his bed, hair sticking up wildly in all directions. He grabbed his wand and tip-toed quietly to his door. It creaked open and he stared down at the pretty red headed girl with wide eyes.

"_How do you do that?"_ he asked in awe. She shrugged.

"Were you sleeping?" she asked. Aris looked behind him at the rumpled sheets and then back to her.

"I suppose not… Can I get you anything?" he offered, confused and wary. She did not seem to be in a fighting stance, merely shuffling barefoot in front of him in his mother's old nightgown. He couldn't remember getting her any clothes and he immediately felt bad.

"A key to the front door?" she piped up and put on a winning smile. Aris narrowed his eyes and frowned in answer.

She shrugged and the smile disappeared.

"You have to admit it was worth a try," she mumbled and waltzed down the hallway, leaving him cold and shirtless at his bedroom door.

"Wait! Where do you think you are going?" he demanded after his brain stopped buzzing.

"To get out of here," she called back.

Aris grabbed a handful of his own hair in frustration.

"Gah! You are not leaving! Do you understand me? I will not allow it!" he roared after her. His patience with her had run its course and he stomped down the staircase after her flowing mane of red hair.

"I am tired! I am exhausted, actually. I have had a bad day! No, I have had an awful _week_! I sank a lot of money into this investment and I will not have _one hundred thousand galleons skip right out my front door!_"

Ginny stopped and cocked her head to the side and he lumbered after her.

"I was planning to use the kitchen window. I haven't tried that one yet," she said with a twinkle of defiance in her deep brown eyes.

Aris didn't know whether to cackle with madness or collapse in a fit of defeat. He smacked a hand against his forehead, sat on the bottom stair and leaned his cheek against the banister as he watched her disappear.

The screeching started up again in no time and Aris hung his head between his knees and waited for it to stop. He heard the distinctive pop as Tibby appeared in the entrance hall.

"Go to bed, Tibby. It will do no good," he muttered. Tibby bowed and he heard another pop as she took the order.

Aris covered his ears until the screeching stopped. A few minutes passed in silence, except for the ticking of the grandfather clock off in the distance of the living room area. Then he heard the tell tale padding of bare feet.

Ginny sat next to him on the bottom staircase and smoothed down her hair.

"That didn't work so well either," she commented.

Aris grunted.

"Why don't you lock me up in your wine cellar like you said you would?" she asked, intrigued. Aris shrugged his shoulders. He glanced over at her and leaned more comfortably against the banister.

"What is the point? You are going to do what you want at any rate. Plus, I don't want you anywhere near my highly prized collection of spirits. I don't want to take the chance of losing those in your next escape attempt," he answered dryly. He thought he might finally fall asleep right there on the stairs and his eyelids drooped.

"Harry Potter is still alive, you know," she said softly.

She rested her elbow on her knee and watched him with interest. He blinked.

And then he let loose a high pitched giggle. He kept laughing and laughing until he couldn't catch his breath. Ginny wrinkled her nose.

"And she is delusional. Fantastic!" he said to himself and stretched out across the steps to stare at the chandelier hanging from the ceiling, still giggling to himself at the absurdity of his predicament.

"It's true!" she insisted and smacked him on the shoulder. Ginny frowned disapprovingly which made him laugh again.

"No it isn't. The Dark Lord vanquished him during the Battle of Hogwarts. Everyone knows that," he snorted.

It was Ginny's turn to laugh. Aris shut his mouth shut and drank in the vision of the fiery girl beside him as she chuckled. Her head extended backward so that the mirth rose effortlessly from her throat. He was captivated, although slightly miffed that she was making fun of him.

"Where did you get that information? The Daily Prophet?" she scoffed.

"Er…"

Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Seriously, Malfoy? You believe that claptrap?" she asked him. Aris didn't answer.

It was true that the Daily Prophet sometimes exaggerated or lied. But why would they lie about something so important? If Harry Potter were alive and well, wouldn't it be cause for alarm? And then suddenly he realized that was the answer. The Dark Lord would not wish to alarm anyone. Of course he would want to keep such information secret. His brain whirled and Ginny watched him come to his own conclusion.

"I will believe it when I see it," he finally decided aloud but she seemed satisfied to have caused him to entertain the idea that Daily Prophet was lying to the entire wizarding world about Harry Potter's demise.

"Do you like it here?" she asked in a softer voice. Aris was confused.

"Do I like where, exactly?"

"Here. London. Working at the Ministry of Magic and smelling the stench of burning corpses on a daily basis," she explained.

Aris didn't like where she was going with this. She was a blood-traitor. The alarm bells in his head were ringing as he stared at her. She was beautiful, yet dangerous. He wished he had never been persuaded to attend the auction, yet he wanted nothing more than to be in her company. Aris swallowed hard and tore his gaze away.

"I am going to bed. Good night, Weasley," he growled as he left her alone on the staircase.

"Sleep well, Malfoy. I will follow soon, I expect. But I haven't tried the wine cellar window yet," she warned.

Aris swatted at the air beside his head as if warding off a bothersome fly. He was suddenly so exhausted that he didn't give a damn what the Weasley girl got up to in his house. She could burn it down for all he cared, as long as he got in some decent sleep.

He fell across his bed and passed out. He didn't even stir as the screeching alarm pulsed in the air and faded away again.

* * *

"How is Miss Weasley?" Kingsley asked in a fatherly tone when stuck his head inside the office.

Aris winced and rubbed the back of his skull. It seemed he now carried around a permanent headache.

"Charming," he snapped at the regal dark-skinned Auror.

"You know, I can take her off your hands," Kingsley offered in a soothing voice. He smiled in understanding. Aris took a deep breath and thought for a moment.

He considered the offer. He really and truly considered it and the peace it would bring. Kingsley take the girl away? A blissful nights sleep for once? A stop to the longing he felt as she scampered freely through his house looking for some means of escape, even in broad daylight under his watchful gaze? She was like a tiny butterfly battering around in a cage. A loud butterfly. A snarky, sarcastic, annoying little butterfly he wished he could squash sometimes but wouldn't because he enjoyed seeing her flowing red hair rippling through his empty manor.

_Wait. Butterflies don't have red hair,_ he shook his head to clear it.

"I will sell her to you for what I paid," Aris muttered and shuffled his papers across his desk to look busy. Kingsley straightened his spine.

"Would you care if I stopped by to say hello, then? I have not seen here for years," Kingsley offered genially.

Aris leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling and the magical memos fluttering above his head.

"Fine," he grumbled and arched his back to sooth his aching muscles. Kingsley nodded and slipped away.

* * *

He arrived home and was greeted in his study by Ginny.

"Your friend Morvan came to call," she said hesitantly. Aris looked around the room.

"Is he still here?" he asked. After Aris had punched Morvan in the nose a few weeks ago, Morvan had been cowering from him. Perhaps he was here to apologize for dragging Aris into this situation.

Ginny scuffed her foot against the rug.

"No…"

Aris narrowed his grey eyes.

"What did you do?" he demanded.

She tapped her finger against her bottom lip as she thought about her answer.

"Well see… he was being an annoying git and I might have, er, hurt his feelings," she responded defiantly amidst his stern gaze.

"And he has gone?" Aris demanded.

She nodded, watching warily as if preparing her next round of insults.

Aris shrugged off his cloak and collapsed onto the couch.

"Thank goodness," he replied. Ginny flounced over to him and joined him on the couch, careful to put an equal amount of distance between them.

"He is an idiot and he deserved it. What do you have there?" she asked and Aris unfolded his Daily Prophet crossword puzzle. He was determined to finish it no matter how difficult this one turned out to be.

"Oh! Let me have a go," she insisted and held out her hand for it. Aris smirked, tossed it at her and handed her his quill.

"I must warn you, it isn't for beginners—" he began to say but watched in consternation as Ginny's hand whizzed over the parchment. The blocks and letters whizzed so fast on the paper that his head became dizzy watching her fill in her answers. In a matter of minutes, she blotted her last answer and the puzzle lay before him… completed.

His jaw dropped and Ginny flashed him a dazzling smile.

"I give up. Never again!" he huffed and stomped out of the room. "Ridiculous!"

She flew after him, giggling.

"What! Poor Mr. Malfoy can't compete with a blood-trait-" she called after him and slid to a stop as she saw Kingsley Shacklebolt in the main parlor dusting off his cloak.

Aris shook Kingsley's hand in surprise and turned to Ginny so he could introduce the Auror.

"Kingsley!" she shouted and rushed into the Auror's arms. Kingsley patted her on the head and held her tightly in his grasp as if he were mightily relieved to see the girl in one piece. Aris backed away slowly. It was a weird feeling much like he was a stranger in his own house viewing something uncomfortably intimate.

"Tell me how—" she whispered and Kingsley waved a hand to cut her off.

"Do you mind if I speak with Miss Ginny alone?" he asked in a deep, calm voice.

Aris pointed at himself as he looked around the room. The he realized he was an idiot. Of course Kingsley was talking to him. Aris nodded and ascended the staircase. When he was well out of earshot, he pulled something from his robes.

It was a set of Extendable Ears he had picked up a few years ago at a joke shop in Diagon Alley before it was shut down. They had come in handy before and he was curious enough to use them now.

He quickly unraveled the flesh-colored string. It slipped under his bedroom door and snaked down the hallway to hang over the stairs. He stuck the other end in his ear and listened intently.

"…Mum and Dad? Does she know what happened?"

"…been informed, I assure you."

"Take me with you, please!"

"… has been discussed. You are safe here for now."

"Kingsley! Please! I can't leave without the damn alarms shrieking and he's so stubborn!"

"I cannot lose my position at the Ministry over helping you escape. I have informed the Order of your predicament and that is all… do. Your brother Ronald is busy… plans to rescue you but with the siege in the south… take a while before he can retrieve you. Harry is sure he is nearing the end of his secret mission. Your mother has been worried sick over you, of course… better than they could have expected… landing here. As long as you… not dead or harmed."

Aris yanked the string out of his ear and stared in horror at the closed door.

_Kingsley Shacklebolt is a traitor! Harry Potter is alive and participating in a secret mission against the Dark Lord! The Order of the Phoenix is currently active in Southern England! _

Aris clutched at his chest, breathing hard and fast as his brain whirled. He had to get rid of the girl. But that would not stop this brother of hers, Ronald, from coming to retrieve her. Aris could not release her of his own will, lest he bring death upon himself for betraying the Dark Lord. No, he must keep her here. But he must get rid of her! How?!

Slowly the answer settled upon him. He must kill her. He felt sick to his stomach. He must kill her and turn her body in to the Ministry. He must turn in Kingsley and inform the Dark Lord's minions that Harry Potter was mounting forces against him.

But… did the Dark Lord know this already? Would he be executed for possessing such knowledge outside of his position? After all, he was not a Death Eater and the Dark Lord might likely decide to kill Aris for fear that he would expose the secret that Harry Potter was still alive.

He was paralyzed with fear. He had no idea what do to. He couldn't keep such a secret for fear that the Dark Lord would find out, read his mind and label him a traitor. He also couldn't kill the girl for fear of retribution, especially since it seemed southeast England was holding strong and possibly growing stronger according to the magical map in his office.

His entire world crashed around him. All of his hard work, all of his money, all of his good fortune and fine name meant nothing now. He shuffled anxiously around the room until he heard the front door close and the sounds of sobbing from below.

Aristophanes Malfoy needed answers. Right now.


	3. Chapter 3

"Where are you going?" Ginny shouted as Aris vaulted into his study. He grabbed his Ministry robes and flung them over his shoulder. Then he marched to the mirror above his fireplace and flattened down his hair.

He turned on his heel and strode quickly through the manor to the front parlor.

"I need to go to Gringotts. I will be back within the hour," he mumbled as he passed Ginny with her hands on her hips and mouth open in disbelief.

"But I thought-"

"I need you to take this bag," he flung a purple sack into her arms, "and fill it with all of my mother's things. You know where they are. I want to take them with me. This bag has an Extension Charm placed upon it. Gather up anything we will need to take with us as well; food, clothing, useful valuables... and forget that stupid lumpy pillow please."

Ginny flipped the bag over in her palms staring at it and then glanced back up as he swiftly departed the manor into the evening sunlight.

She smiled as she watched him walk through the outer gate and Disapparate.

* * *

Aris arrived in a small courtyard in the middle of London. He looked up wondering why the sky was so much darker here than at his home a few miles away. Then the sick began to bubble uncomfortably in his stomach as he realized the dark clouds covering the sky were not rain clouds. Smoke and stench gathering like a thundercloud from the widespread burning of buildings and… people.

As he walked down the streets, he took in how different his life was since the Dark Lord gained power. How different everyone's lives were. How many lives had been lost. London wasn't just an empty city anymore. It was a city of the dead.

Every so often he would pass a wayward wizard or witch bustling through the streets. They refused to make eye contact with him. Every single market, shop and home had the windows boarded up if the building hadn't already been incinerated. Aris sniffed the air and gagged on the stench of neglect. He hadn't realized just how much he avoided the world around him except to go to work and return home until he gazed around him with new eyes. It was _this_ that he retreated from.

He saw the Leaky Cauldron and gratefully made his way toward it.

"Evening, Tom," he greeted the stooped over bar-man.

"Evening," Tom greeted him back.

Aris looked around and noticed the absence of patrons. The bar was cold and the floor was covered in dust

"Fancy a drink?" Tom begged him. "No line."

Aris shook his head.

"Not today. Thank you," Aris dismissed him. Tom went back to scrubbing the same spot on the counter with a disgruntled huff.

Aris tapped the wall with his wand and the bricks rearranged themselves to form the familiar portal to Diagon Alley. He walked briskly down the road toward the large marble structure of Gringotts Wizarding Bank.

Diagon Alley looked nearly the same as the Muggle part of London. It wasn't the happy shopping village of his childhood. The Apothecary was unrecognizable. There was a burnt husk where Eeylop's Owl Emporium had been. Twilfitt and Tattings' roof had long since collapsed and most of the store windows were derelict and empty.

The only difference was that the streets were not quite as lifeless. Death Eaters patrolled the alley in a bored manner. Stray Ministry workers hustled past them to go about their business in a hurry so as not to be caught on the streets after dark.

"Oy! You there!" a hooded man shouted.

Aris quickly crossed to the other side of the street as the Death Eater accosted an elderly witch emerging from a trash heap between two of the unused shops. She whipped her head around and Aris caught sight of the decomposing carrot dangling from her lip before she scuttled away from pursuer.

Aris lowered his gaze down to his polished shoes and pulled his cloak tighter around his shoulders and thought about Ginny.

_Does she understand what she is asking me to do? Do I know what I'm doing? Does she think I am a coward? Am I a coward?How did everything change so quickly? I don't even like myself. If I do this, if I leave this awful place and this awful job and this boring life, I will stand to gain more than what I have now. I want her. I need her. She makes me feel… different._

Aris jerked out of his reverie when he accidentally bumped into one of the Death Eaters walking in the opposite direction.

"Excuse me," he muttered.

"Ministry, eh?" the man laughed and poked his cheek to taunt him. "What's your name? Shouldn't you be holed up underground?"

Aris straightened up to his full height. The Death Eater was a head shorter than him. Aris took an approach that made him think rather distastefully of his own father.

The Death Eater lost his grin when Aris plastered a chilly sneer on his own face.

"I am Aristophanes Malfoy and my presence in Diagon Alley is no concern of yours. I wonder how the Dark Lord will feel about one of his little _rug-rats_ delaying the Head Secretary of the War Department on important business. Hm?" he inquired. He hoped his tone had been that of self-importance with a hint of disgust for the man before him… a challenge.

It worked. The Death Eater glared at him and walked on without another word.

Aris waited until the Death Eater disappeared to let out a breath of relief and to calm the shaking hands he had stowed away beneath his cloak. He touched the wand in his waistband to reassure himself that he would be safe with it.

Gringrotts towered before him and he stepped inside. His shoes clipped loudly across the floor and he leaned over to the Goblin working the counter.

"State your business," the Goblin demanded in a loud rasping voice and scratched a wart on his nose.

"I wish to withdraw money from my vault," Aris replied in a low manner. He resisted the urge to reach over the counter and strangle the ugly and pretentious thing for speaking so loudly.

"How much?" the Goblin asked in a ringing voice, not bothering to look at Aris.

Aris scanned the length of the counter beside him to make sure no one was paying him any attention.

"A lot," he whispered.

A wart infested eyebrow raised in his direction.

"Key?" the Goblin asked in the same carrying tone.

Aris gritted his teeth and held it up for viewing.

_Unpleasant creatures_, he thought.

* * *

"Hello, Father," Aris muttered disdainfully and dropped the heavy load of gold on the mound of earth with a grunt. He wiped his brow to rid his brow of the sweat beads upon his forehead from carrying the massive sack of galleons underneath his cloak.

He withdrew his wand and made careful incisions to the granite block of Cassius Malfoy's mausoleum. Aris pursed his lips in concentration as he removed the block and settled it carefully next to Uncle Abraxas Malfoy's burial site so he could shove the gold inside the dank and moldy alcove.

"Watch this for me, will you?" Aris muttered darkly before he replaced the granite block and muttered the spell to seal it as it had been before.

He stood back to admire his handy work. The grave looked undisturbed.

Aris felt a niggle of doubt at what he had just done. A large chunk of his fortune, besides the small pouch attached to his belt, was now under the dubious watch of his deceased father. He considered re-opening the mausoleum and placing his inheritance in his mother's care but he reasoned with himself that she could offer just as much protection of it… and if anyone valued gold more than his father he had never met that person, though his father would never have considered abandoning the precious money as his son was now doing.

_Not abandoning, _he thought to reassure himself._ Only keeping it safe if I ever return. I want to keep my options open, that is all. It is no use taking it with me and it would be a shame if I survive and return empty-handed. Self-preservation. Mother would approve._

He wiped a hand over his mother's name, Isodore Nott-Malfoy, and sighed heavily.

_I miss you so much, Mum. I know you won't approve of risking my neck over this but you should see what we have become. Maybe it is better that you are dead. I need to do_ this._ I need to leave. I hope I haven't shamed you very much. After all, she is a pure-blood woman._

Aris smirked and shook his head. His mother had been a piece of work. But he had respected her, not so much for her views, but for her ambition and cunning. And she had prized her only son above all else and made sure he would never want for anything. Yes, he did miss her. He wondered what she would say if she knew he were abandoning his respectable position in the Ministry of Magic at the whim of another persuasive woman.

_She would have a cow_, he thought and grinned. With that last resigned thought, he turned on his heel.

* * *

Aris Apparated just outside his gate. Something was wrong.

He hurried to his front door. It swung open on the hinges and a bark of laughter reached his ears. It was an unwelcome noise, considering he had left Ginny alone.

Aris felt anger bubbling in his chest as he saw Willis Theobald standing in his front parlor with a gnarled paw ensnared in Ginny's hair. She struggled vainly, trying to kick back against his shin.

With a jolt of surprise, he noticed Kingsley Shacklebolt standing grimly in front of the scene.

"Why are you in my house?" Aris demanded and raised his wand at Theobald, feeling the rage and indignation boiling to the surface. As much as he tried to suppress it, he could feel his lips contorting in a snarl.

"Shacklebolt and I have come to take this piece of trash to the Dark Lord," Theobald spat with malice, clearly enjoying the expression on Aris' face.

"I demand to know why at once. Under no circumstances are you welcome in my house, you insolent nitwit," Aris replied and took another step forward. "Release her."

Theobald narrowed his bulging eyes and gripped tighter as Ginny tried to fight him. She winced in pain but his actions only seemed to make her angrier.

"I don't think so, _Malfoy_," he said the name like a curse. "I knew there was a reason you denied her to me. So I did a little digging and reported what I found to the Dark Lord himself. This girl is not only a blood-traitor. She is a dear friend of Harry Potter and the Dark Lord requires her presence immediately. I have been sent to collect her. As long as I bring her back in, ah, _decent_ condition, I will be granted the honor of receiving the Dark Mark. I'm sure you understand," Theobald hissed and pointed his own wand at Aris.

Aris glanced over at Kingsley and noticed him raise his wand arm slightly.

"I do not. I paid a high price for her. If what you say is true, I will bring her to the Dark Lord myself," Aris refused and took another step forward. He couldn't allow Theobald to exit his home with Ginny. If he could only get her away from him for a moment, he could escape with her in the blink of an eye. He thought it was highly likely that Kingsley had plans to rescue Ginny under the guise of volunteering to help Theobald escort her to the Dark Lord.

He had never before appreciated Kingsley Shacklebolt's stoicism. The Auror's face was a blank canvas but Aris could sense something else, perhaps because it mirrored Aris' own thoughts. Kingsley was obviously very important to Harry Potter's cause and his infiltration of the Ministry would be vital to The-Boy-Who-Lived. He could sense the struggle within the silent man. Kingsley could not afford to bring suspicions upon his position, yet he would also not stand aside and let Ginny Weasley be brought to the Dark Lord. But Kingsley would chose his own death over hers. That was certain.

"No no no… It is my duty, not yours. Stand aside," Theobald demanded and began to drag Ginny away. He lowered his wand for a second in his attempt to leave the premises.

Aris made his choice, although it pained him to do so considering what he had in mind to turn the situation in his favor.

"_STUPIFY!"_ Aris shouted and the spell hit Theobald squarely in the head. Theobald dropped heavily to the marble floor and Ginny sprinted away from him.

Aris made a ripping motion with his wand across the front door and removed the Anti-Escape spell.

"Take her outside. Get her out of here. Move as far away from the manor as possible," Aris demanded through gritted teeth.

Kingsley grabbed her by the arm and lead her down the porch steps into the yard. Aris backed up, muttering another spell underneath his breath and waving his wand around his head.

"I've re-done the Anti-Escape spell," he said as he joined them in the gloomy blackness of the night.

Ginny took in a deep breath and stared across the lawn at the prison she had been stuck in for such a short time. Her eyes were filled with worry and she turned to Kingsley.

"You can't go back. Please," she insisted and grabbed his hand.

Kingsley gave her a benevolent smile and patted her arm.

"I must. I have something extremely important to take care of," he said in a controlled voice. Aris felt something twinge painfully in his chest as he drank in the last view of his home, the only place he had ever lived.

"But Harry needs you," she pleaded fiercely.

"Harry will be fine without me. Theobald will certainly be found and released. Before any suspicions arise, I have something very important to take care of. Though I promise you, Miss Weasley, I will not go down without a fight," Kingsley assured her.

"Do you have the purple satchel?" Aris interrupted them. Ginny glared at him.

"Of course. It's in my pocket. I managed to gather everything we need," she snapped at him for being insensitive.

"You must hurry now," Kingsley insisted and pressed Ginny further toward the woods.

Aris looked down at his wand and back to the manor. He could hear the argument between the two of them as Ginny refused to leave without Kingsley.

"_**Conflarus**__!"_ Aris shouted and the explosion rocked all three of them to the ground. Bits and pieces of his scorched and burning house rained in all directions and they covered their heads in protection.

Aris squinted his eyes against the flaming destruction and stared sadly at the hole where the foundation of his lovely mansion once stood.


	4. Chapter 4

He stood up and brushed the dirt shakily from his pants.

"You killed him!" Ginny suddenly announced in shock. Aris whipped around in a sudden outburst of fury.

"Yes! I killed him. I just blew up my own bloody house! He is dead now and Kingsley can go back to doing what he is doing for that Potter boy unmolested! What? Did you want to take Theobald with us or something?! Don't you think it would be fishy to let the man rot inside my home while Kingsley walks away unscathed? Or do you think it better if I modify that rotten git's memory like the Dark Lord isn't going to notice his memories have been altered?!" he yelled back, aggravated that Ginny was upset over the demise of Willis Theobald.

"So blowing up your own house isn't fishy? _Are you a nutter?!"_ she demanded and pointed at the burning columns.

"No. I am not a nutter. I am practical. Kingsley can now make up any story to suit him. Speaking of practical-" he said and picked up a fallen brick off the ground. "Kingsley, I'm going to need to hit you in the head with this. Loss of memory due to a blow in the head won't be as suspicious."

Kingsley's eyebrow rose. He assessed Aris calmly without betraying a single thought going through his mind.

"Wait," he said in a calm deep voice and removed a vial from his robes. He stuck his wand to his temple and removed it, dragging a short silvery strand of memory and dropping it into the vial. He handed the vial to Ginny, who pocketed it.

"Now," Kingsley said and shut his eyes.

Aris clutched the brick in his hand and took a big swing at the shiny bald head. Kingsley lost consciousness and collapsed in a heap. Ginny knelt down quickly and felt for a pulse.

"He's still alive. Let's go," she breathed thankfully and entwined her fingers with his. Aris turned with her on the spot and Disapparated.

* * *

Aris and Ginny Apparated in the middle of field.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"I have no idea," Aris replied through tight lips. "Considering you do not have a wand and I have no idea where we are supposed to be going, I'd just say that we are a few miles west of Merlin Court. I don't have the slightest clue how to manage a Portkey. Do you have any better idea of how to get wherever it is we are going?"

Ginny crossed her arms over her chest and shivered, staring up at the sparkling stars.

"I suppose not. There is no use trying to find a fireplace since the Floo Network is being watched by Death Eaters. It would be too dangerous to fly out in the open. I don't even know what to call the place, so I suppose we will be safest to proceed on foot. The encampment has every set of protective spells surrounding it and the area is Unplottable," she admitted. "Nothing can rival the protective enchantments of Hogwarts but where we are headed it is pretty close to that level of security."

"Wonderful," Aris commented sarcastically.

"They know we are on our way so they will be waiting for us. I know the direction we should be walking. Don't worry. But we will probably need to find a safe place to rest first. It is best to travel during the day if we are walking. The Snatchers and You-Know-Who's forces like to come out at night," she said.

"And they are most likely swarming the entire area," Aris lowered his voice and looked around. But he didn't see anything suspicious. He took off his cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders. She startled at first but then accepted the gesture gratefully.

"This way," she said and they both sprinted to the edge of the wooded area in the distance. Aris followed her into the thicket for a few minutes and Ginny stopped suddenly. Aris ran into her and apologized.

"Hush. This is a good place to set up camp," she whispered.

Aris looked around the small clearing and began to surround the area with every protective charm he could think of.

Ginny reached her hand into the bag and pulled out a bundle of sheets. She set up a makeshift tent and laid out some bedding and a few pillows next to each other. She moved so quickly that before Aris had ample opportunity to take in his surroundings, she had already set up camp without once asking him for help. Then she plopped down and pulled out a pack of crackers and offered some to Aris.

"You obviously are used to this sort of thing," Aris said in awe. He didn't realize how hungry he was and devoured his meal with gusto as Ginny nibbled on her own food in silence.

"I don't like what you did. I hate it, actually. But I understand why you did it," she commented and pulled her knees up to her chest. Aris stopped eating.

"I've never murdered anyone before," he said. He wasn't so much on the defense as he was trying to digest his own actions.

"I get that. It was us verses Theobald and you chose us. I appreciate it. But I'm still not okay with killing someone," she told him in a small voice.

Aris nodded.

"I'm not okay with it either. But it had to be done. That's a difference between Slytherins and Gryffindors, I think. We are both brave, but your type has more of a sense of righteousness whereas my type has a better sense of self-preservation," he thought aloud. "If given a real choice, I would have tried to convert the situation to my advantage without blowing up anyone. But in the end, I had to do what I did. I have known Kingsley Shacklebolt for years. In a strange way, I have always held a sense of grudging respect for the man. And you… you…" he trailed off, suddenly aware he was talking too much. "It was the only way."

Ginny threw Aris a blanket and he wrapped it around his own shoulders. He felt sleepy all of a sudden.

"What made you change your mind about You-Know-Who?" she asked and looked at him with sudden interest. He got the feeling she was trying to stare into his soul and he looked away.

"My mother and father were big supporters of the Dark Lord. I grew up in that sort of house hold. I suppose I've always supported him by default but I never put too much time or thought to the importance of having pure blood because all their talk and praise became… background noise. I was more concerned with working my way into the Ministry and making money. When the Dark Lord took over, I didn't have a cross word to say because I knew I was safe. But I've seen so many… horrific things I've had to block out. I thought this was life and I might as well make the best of it and do nothing to draw attention to myself or anger the Dark Lord. But then that idiot Morvan dragged me to the auction and I've seen another side, I suppose. Comparing your bravery and defiance to my complacency has made me feel inadequate and put everything in perspective for me. I just want something to change," he sighed and laid his head on the pillow. He stared up at the fluttering of the blankets turned make-shift tent and tried to blink away the heaviness of his eyelids.

"I suppose we should both thank Morvan," Ginny whispered and laid next to him. She burrowed under the blankets and faced him. There was a ghost of a smile on her face and Aris huffed.

"Sure. Thanks to him, I'm now on the run and sleeping underneath a tree," he smirked and stretched out his legs.

"But you aren't alone," she commented. Aris felt a giddy flutter in the pit of his stomach as he looked over at her. He tried to keep a straight face but for the first time in a very long time, he let a true smile cross his lips.

"I suppose things could be worse," Aris replied. Ginny curled up closer to him and they both fell asleep.

* * *

They were awoken early in the morning by the sound of shouts and loud cracking noises. Aris jerked awake and sat up, nearly pulling down the tent upon both of them.

BANG! CRACK!

"What in the bloody hell was that!" he managed to strangle out before Ginny clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Shhh!" she hushed him and became stock still as she listened intently, eyes darting about the tent wildly.

"Come on. It sounds like they are a little ways to the right, probably in that big field. We need to go _now_," Ginny said and dragged Aris to his feet. They both worked quickly to stuff everything back into the purple satchel.

"Ready?" Aris asked her. "Which way?"

Ginny took in her surroundings and then pointed in the opposite direction. They both hunched over and disappeared deeper into the woods.

"Were those Death Eaters?" Aris asked when he felt they were safely secluded.

Ginny nodded.

"Probably a few of them. But You-Know-Who also likes to send out Inferi to test our strong holds so it could have been some of them too," she said. "But we need to travel further south than Merlin Court, so we are going to bypass the village."

"Just how far south, Ginny?" Aris asked suspiciously.

"To the sea," she replied and giggled at the exaggerated expression of despair she received.

They walked along in mutual silence for a few minutes. Aris and Ginny kept an eye out for Death Eaters and Snatchers but eventually they began to chat in low voices with their wands drawn.

"I don't think I've mentioned this before- thank you," Ginny said quietly.

"Er, why?" Aris asked.

"I know you could have made things worse for me, but you didn't. I am grateful for that," she told him. "I realize that I have put you in an awkward and dangerous position, considering everything, but I am glad you saved me."

"I take it you are bothered that I was in Slytherin House at Hogwarts?" Aris inquired curiously. "I do remember the rivalry between my House and yours and it seems things haven't changed much. It has ballooned to a larger scale these past few years."

Ginny shrugged.

"Obviously I am wary of those who were Slytherins. We don't have many fighting with us, after all. And You-Know-Who was a Slytherin and he likes to surround himself with those who think like he does. So yes, it did bother me at first but I don't think you are a true Slytherin," she replied.

Aris felt a slight stab of indignation.

"Excuse me, but I think I know myself better than you do. I am a Slytherin and I am _proud_ of it. I know you think it is a bad thing and that we are automatically bad people but I find that opinion to be a load of hogwash. You Gryffindors like to take the mickey out of us because we don't charge into a fight with wands blasting and welcoming death like it's a good friend because we find our talents are better put to use elsewhere-"

Ginny stopped walking and crossed her arms over her chest and glared up at him.

"So it is useless for me to bring you to the encampment then? If you aren't going to fight-" she snapped.

"I never said I won't fight! It is only that killing myself in some useless heroic fashion isn't the first option I'd choose!"

"So essentially you are saying that I am stupid, is that it?"

"No! Yes. No. No that isn't what I am saying. I think you are very intelligent. But I don't appreciate the insinuation that I am weak just because I'd rather explore multiple ways of solving a situation rather than rushing into it with a blazing sword," Aris spat on the ground and shoved his chilled hands into his pockets.

"Fine. I don't think you are a coward. Obviously you are here with me. But why? What makes you think joining us is the best option for you? I still don't understand why you don't run away and disappear… because that is another safer option than this," she said and tapped her foot impatiently on the forest floor.

"You don't seem to fully appreciate the situation you put me in. _Knowledge- can- kill_. I had to make a choice. That is what this is about. If I stayed in London, I would die. That's not good is it? If I run along and disappear, I take the chance of getting captured or being labeled a coward forever if the tides of war change or, worse, end up in Azkaban. If I follow you, I can help bring about an end to all of this and perhaps get my life back. I don't really have any other option, do I? So here I am, Ginny. I'm waiting for you to give me a shot," he said and threw his hands up in the air in exasperation.

They both fell silent, glaring at each other defensively.

"I _am_ giving you a shot," Ginny finally whispered and tucked a stray strand of red hair behind her ear.

Aris shoved his hands back in his pockets and didn't say anything. Ginny rubbed at her eyes and looked around to find her bearings again.

She dragged him by the arm to follow her again and they Apparated short distances to make up for time until evening began to fall.


	5. Chapter 5

Aris' legs were beginning to feel like jelly and his feet were throbbing. Ginny didn't seem to fare much better and they were stopping more frequently to catch their breaths. The sun was rapidly disappearing beneath the horizon and bathing the countryside in bright red and orange hues.

"Stop," Ginny whispered suddenly and held out a hand to stop Aris from stepping over a fallen tree branch in their path.

"What-"

"This is it," she hissed. Ginny knelt down and picked up long swishy stick and poked it across the log. She pulled it back and then did it again, looking off into the distance as if she were waiting for some sign.

"I don't see-"

Then he heard the hoot of an owl in one of the trees and he looked up. Ginny looked up as well.

She cupped her hands around her mouth and mimicked the noise.

Suddenly the bushes were alive. Several people jumped out of the shadows with wands raised and Aris felt something snaking around his leg. In an instant, he cried out and found himself hanging upside down from his ankle by a rope. His wand dropped to the ground and he struggled madly to right himself, to no avail.

"George! Let him down!" he heard Ginny shout.

"He's the Malfoy? He doesn't look like a prat but I could be wrong," he heard a man's voice say and then he felt something poking him in the head. He swatted it away to the sounds of laughing.

"Ginny! Oh Ginny, ve have been so worried!" he heard a woman's voice cry out joyously.

"Fleur, please help me get Aris down," Ginny huffed in exasperation.

"But ve have been told to bring him in," Fleur said.

"Mum is going to have a right fit when she finds out you are back," George said. "She's been cryin' her bloody eyes out over you. Can't say it's been a wonderful couple of weeks. Ever since Kingsley told us you were alive, Ron's been trying to persuade Hagrid to let him borrow Fang and a couple Blast-Ended Skrewts for your rescue mission. Charlie, Bill, Percy and I have been ready to wreak havoc if it weren't for Hermione and Dad persuading us to wait it out and formulate a better plan."

"That's great and all. I appreciate it, really I do. But the man who made it possible for me to return is _hanging upside down in a tree,"_ Ginny emphasized and Aris tried to turn his head to look at her but the rope was swinging so as to be nearly impossible to catch a good glimpse of anyone except for the gorgeous half-Veela woman with the French accent.

"And he has a minor fear of heights!" Aris yelled down and tried to quell the nausea.

"I don't mind getting dirty on the job, but I'd rather not end up cleaning puke out of my hair back at camp," Lee said. "He's going to upchuck pretty soon, mate."

"Spoil sport," George muttered and Aris found himself on his back in the dirt, trying to catch the wind that had been knocked out of him upon release.

Ginny knelt down and her face was joined by a man with the same bright orange hair.

"He's got the same eyes as that prick, Draco," he said. "Weird."

Ginny elbowed George and he grinned, freckles standing out on his face in the waning sunlight.

"Are you alright?" she asked and smoothed the hair away from his forehead. He nodded and felt himself being pulled up by the shoulders.

"Hands behind your back, buddy," Lee said. Aris shook his head in refusal but couldn't speak because he was still trying to gather a lung full of precious oxygen.

"Oh come off it. Do you really think we are going to let a Slytherin, Ministry worker_ and_ Malfoy to book waltz right into our main campsite without restraining and interrogating you first? Seriously…" George rolled his eyes and gestured for Aris to put his hands behind his back.

He looked over at Ginny and she gave him a little shrug as if to say, _Well what would you do?_

Aris begrudgingly let his hands be bound and lead down a freshly worn path in the undergrowth.

He was forced to walk amidst the four of them for a little ways. He began to smell salt in the air and the forest began to give way to flat, sandy dirt. Ahead he could see lights flickering and Aris guessed it had to be dozens upon dozens of bonfires lighting up the sparse open space ahead. He could hear waves breaking against a not-so-distant shoreline and a warm breeze rippled through his hair.

"Oy! George, remember that one time your sister brought home a Malfoy to meet your mum?" Lee asked.

George grinned.

"Ah, I think I do remember once… No, no. I'm sorry. That was only a nightmare. Mum morphed into a Horntail," George replied. They both chortled and slapped each other on the back.

Ginny's lips thinned in annoyance but she didn't say anything. Aris raised an eyebrow at her but she shook her head, keeping silent. He was sure that wasn't a good sign.

Fleur jogged ahead of them, hiking up her robes to her knees and kicking up sand.

"Bill! Ginny is vith us!" she cried out. She flung her arms around another violently ginger-headed Weasley and kissed him. He reached out to hug his sister and Aris got a good look at his face. The scars made him cringe. It looked like a good portion of Bill's face had been chewed up and spit back out but his eyes lit up with relief to see his sister.

"Mum will be entirely grateful," Bill said to Aris. They both eyed each other with suspicion but Aris could tell Bill was a nice guy so he nodded his head to acknowledge his words.

"Come on then," George tugged Aris into the main part of the campsite. He wished he could cover his face from all of the looks he received from the other campers but he decided that since he couldn't hide, he might as well hold his head high and look forward. Ginny walked beside him as she called out and waved to various members of the extremely large gathering of people.

"Move along, move along! It needs to be interrogated immediately, move out of the way," George called out and marched him forward to a massive tent.

_'It'. He called me an 'It'_, Aris seethed.

They came to an abrupt stop in front of the tent flap. He could see a flickering of a gas lamp in the gap of the opening and the sound of pots and pans clanging together.

"Okay. Before we toss you in, there are a few pieces of advice: First-" Lee whispered in his ear.

"Keep your vital body parts tucked in," George whispered in his other ear.

"During the interrogation, refrain from raising your voice," Lee said.

"And don't get too close," George said.

Aris swallowed hard.

"Is it going to be painful?" he asked. He barely managed to keep the trepidation from his voice.

The both looked at each other and shrugged.

"No idea. Best learn to duck just in case," George advised him and pushed Aris through the flap.

He came face to face with a slightly pudgy woman with the same flaming red hair and brown eyes as Ginny. She spun around and dropped a sopping wet rag on the floor of the tent. She seemed to be confused as to why there was an unknown man standing in her tent. The interior was warm but Aris felt a shiver of anticipation as she stared at him with wide eyes.

"Arthur," she snapped and a tall balding man stood up from the table and walked over to put an arm around her shoulder. They both had their wands raised toward him, unsure of what to do about the silent man before them.

"Mum?" he heard Ginny speak from behind him. Upon seeing her, the woman burst into tears of happiness and promptly disregarded Aris as she pushed him aside to hug her daughter.

"I have been out of my mind with worry! Oh my goodness, Ginny! Are you hurt? Let me look at you," she sobbed and held Ginny out at arms length. "I thought I might have lost another… Never mind. Don't you ever do that to me again!"

"I'm fine, Mum. I promise. Never been better," Ginny assured her mother. She hugged her mother and then sprinted to hug her father. Arthur wiped a tear from underneath his glasses as he lovingly embraced his little girl.

"What happened? Kingsley only told us the basics to ensure us you weren't... that you were okay. Who is this man? Is he who I think he is?" the woman demanded as she turned her attention to Aris.

"Molly," Arthur said in a calming voice and squeezed Molly's shoulders. "You must be Aristophanes Malfoy. Kingsley said we could trust you but, well, you can understand how we felt about the situation. Thankfully we have been proven wrong. I cannot express how grateful I am to you for bringing Ginevra back to us."

Molly blew her nose on her apron and nodded in agreement as she appraised Aris with teary eyes. Aris struggled uncomfortably against his bonds. This was getting to be a bit too much for him. If he was such a hero, why were his hands still tied behind his back?

George slipped into the tent and laid Aris' wand on the table.

"That'd be yours, mate," he said and sat down at the table. Lee joined him and so did Bill and Fleur. Arthur gestured for Aris to take a seat as well.

"Did somebody ever retrieve my wand?" Ginny asked and Arthur promptly took it from his robes and presented it to her.

"Tell us what happened. All we heard was…" Molly began but her trembling lips failed her. She leaned against her husband.

Ginny shushed them all and told them how she had been searching the woods for dittany plants with Neville Longbottom. She had dropped her wand and couldn't signal for help when a Snatcher descended upon her and carried her off. She heard Neville screaming at the top of his lungs for her as he battled against another Snatcher but that was the last thing she heard before she woke up in a cellar.

"Don't worry, dear. Neville is fine," Molly assured her.

Ginny let loose a relieved sigh. Then she proceeded to tell the rest of the story, which Aris knew by heart.

"It was Aris who saved my life, literally. Theobald was going to take me directly to You-Know-Who but Aris stunned him in the parlor, blew up his own house and then hit Kingsley in the head with a brick so it would look like a struggle," Ginny said. Aris could feel heated embarrassment rising to his cheeks but he looked steadfastly at each person around the table.

"So here we are," she finished.

"A right gentleman, he is," Lee nudged his friend.

"A true hero," George replied, looking like he was about to laugh heartily at Aris' attempts to sink below the table.

"I don't think-" Aris mumbled but Molly cut him off with a wave of her hand.

"Nonsense. You returned Ginny to her family. Are you hungry, dear?" Molly asked. Aris opened his mouth to reply but she had already begun bustling around the stove, sniffling and wiping at her eyes.

Ginny smiled tiredly at him.

"About my hands…" Aris said and found he could move them. He stretched his arms and leaned back more comfortably in the chair.

"I will go send a Patronus to Ron so he knows Ginny is safe. We don't need him to burst into the Ministry looking for you," Bill announced and left with Fleur.

Another head popped into the tent. Large protruding eyes gazed dreamily upon the scene and a young blonde woman invited herself in. She seemed to be lost as she looked around at the others.

"Luna," Ginny stood up and hugged her friend.

"I am so happy you are back. A lot of people believed you were dead. Neville says it is his fault but I think there is an infestation of nargles in his tent. Daddy and I have made sure to put dragon dung under his cot to ward them off. I will let them both know you are breathing," Luna said and smiled serenely. She caught sight of Aris and stared at him. Aris shifted uncomfortably under the strange woman's gaze. Several of them coughed as the silence extended into torturous awkwardness.

"Don't worry about his allegiance, Mr. Weasley. He likes Ginny very much," she stated and drifted from the tent like she had wandered in accidently and was only correcting her course.

Aris' face now burned brighter than the fire. All eyes were upon him and he cleared his throat nervously.

"That was… disturbing," Aris commented. George and Lee both looked at each other and burst into laughter. Arthur's face burned as well and he took off his glasses under the pretense of wiping them clean on his sleeve. Molly surveyed her daughter and the Malfoy man sitting in her tent with judgmental eyes.

Ginny threw her brother and his friend a warning look and got up to help her mother set out the plates.

"So tell us what it is like being ol' Snake-Face's puppet?" George prodded him. A shadow crossed Aris' face and he crossed his arms protectively across his chest.

"Enough. Let's eat and discuss that another time," Arthur commanded. "I'm sure you are both extremely tired and ready for a nice rest after everything you have been through. We can talk tomorrow. I would rather have Minerva here for that."

They all ate in silence and had a nightcap before heading off to bed in separate wings of the massive tent. Aris stretched out on the cot and not even Lee's snoring could infiltrate his deep, restful sleep.


End file.
